On today’s BradCast: Primary elections for the crucial 2018 mid-terms were held on Tuesday in Georgia, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas (which held their primary runoffs following the first round of voting back in early March.) That, as hopes for a massive “blue wave” this fall could be fading, at least according to some new polling. [Audio link to show follows below.]
The results, as reported as of today, present a mixed bad for progressive Democrats who performed well in key races for Governor in Georgia (Stacey Abrams became the first female nominee in the state from either major party, and would be the nation’s first African-American Governor, if she wins in November), and for the U.S. House in an upset win against the national Democrats’ preferred candidate in Kentucky (Marine vet Amy McGrath defeated the DCCC-recruited, conservative Blue Dog Democrat Jim Gray, Mayor of Lexington).
The news was less good for progressives, if better for establishment Democratic candidates, in several of the Texas runoffs, where turnout was as low as it’s been in nearly a century.
But it was, once again, another good day for female, minority and LGBTQ candidates in several races in all four states. (In Texas, Lupe Valdez, the former Dallas Sheriff became the first openly gay, Latina nominee for Governor, and Gina Ortiz Jones in the 23rd Congressional District, would become the first lesbian, first Iraq War vet and first Filipina-American to represent Texas in the U.S. House if she wins in the fall.)
Longtime progressive champion HOWIE KLEIN, co-founder of BlueAmericaPAC and creator of the “Down with Tyranny!” blog, joins us to help make sense of the good news and bad from a number of Tuesday’s closely watched races, and offers a preview for several important contests in California’s upcoming June 5th mid-term primaries.
Also today, we detail some of the good and bad news for Republicans, in Kentucky, where a high school math teacher unseated the state’s current state House majority leader and particularly in Texas, where the GOP establishment seems to have held off most of the more extreme rightwing candidates in the run-offs, including one proudly racist, Christian homophobe in Dallas…
I got a little behind on my Bradblog donations because I heard Mark Crispin Miller had come down with lyme disease, so I kicked in $50. There’s a link to donate to a great voting integrity activist on his site:
News From The Underground
I’m donating $40 bucks to Bradblog right now, rather then trying to keep up with other subscriptions in 2018, (the year of the paywall). 🙁
I finally broke down and got a subscription to my local paper, (The Salt Lake Tribune), and they fired two dozen of their reporters the next day. 🙁
Don’t you dare fire anybody on your massive staff Brad!
The Salt Lake Tribune hosts one of the best cartoonists in America; Pat Bagley, who shows up often in the Sunday toons on Bradblog.
He posted characterizations of the people who lost their positions at the paper HERE.
Yeah… More then 2 dozen. 🙁
Good on you Larry.
It can can’t (choose one) happen here (LieGate).
I am broke at the moment, but plodding along giving what I can (free research).
Godspeed to all.
Thanks, Larry. You continue to rock. The support is greatly appreciated and needed!
I still listen to the show every day. Thanks Brad!